Somewhere in Between
by Russell24
Summary: He had found her somewhere in between broken and scarred. The healing process hadn't started for her yet, but he intended on being the one to see her through it. A/U
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

There are certain times in life where, when you have a moment to reflect, you realize some of your most important years have passed. Suddenly, the things that were important no longer are and the things that weren't at the time are the things you wish you could have spent more time enjoying. A particular instance would be the time spent with those closest to you, those of who whom you love and cherish, and those that now only exist in pictures and memories. As much as you try to hold onto the memories, they begin to fade. Soon, you're left wondering if you're remembering it correctly, or if you're remembering it the way you wanted it to be.

Four years ago he had made the decision to stay in Chicago, despite being a Louisiana boy, after his short lived athletic career with the Blackhawks. He had talent but not luck. Two years into his contract he had a nasty hit put on him, since then his left knee had never been the same. The two surgeries that were attempted fixed nothing, only caused him more pain and discomfort. He subsequently developed an infection that spread through his body, they had almost caught it too late and he was hospitalized for nearly two weeks as he struggled to recover. He was still recognized by hockey fans across the country due to how quickly he had gained fame for his unmatched ability to put opponents into the boards. However, when it came to most fans, he wasn't missed for long. A replacement was found and when people would see him on the street they would shout his name in surprise, as if they forgot about his existence. At times he felt cheated, hockey was something he was passionate about and it had been taken away from him, but he believed there was a reason for everything.

He still had many connections in the sports industry, and over a short period of time he had made lifelong friends with a handful of people. The strongest bond was between him and his agent, the man that had made his short lived career possible in the first place. Alaric Saltzman was an honest business man that had only the best intentions for his clients. While he didn't rake in as much cash as others in the industry, the clients he held appreciated him and looked too him for advice. Damon had spent many nights talking to Alaric about possible career moves, and Alaric had always been there to assist Damon in any way he could. He still helped Damon manage the money that he had left with his contacts in the banking and investment industry. Damon was doing fine for himself for being a washed up old defenseman.

Traffic was terrible on this sunny September day. The warm temperature meant everyone was enjoying the outdoors. Many heading out of town, perhaps to enjoy water-skiing, tubing, or camping in Wisconsin before the weather turned cold. Others headed to forest preserves for picnics, or in his case, heading to a friend's house for an afternoon barbeque. While many had decided to not journey out of the city and instead enjoy the lake downtown, he was cursing all of the others who had added to the congestion on I-290. He had already left later than he had hoped due to some unforeseen issues with one of the stoves at the bar and grill in which he owned and operated. By the time he had gotten it fired up he only had fifteen minutes to make a forty-five minute trip to the suburbs. Luckily, he had stopped the night before to get everything he needed to prepare dinner.

As he pulls into the circular drive he tries to calm himself. He despised being late, it stressed him out to know that others were waiting for his arrival especially when he had been asked to prepare dinner. He also did not like being the last to arrive to a function, it made him feel as though he had missed out even though nothing exciting had likely happened.

As he steps out of his Audi A8 he takes a deep breath and lets go of his frustration. He grabs the grocery bags from the trunk and heads up the sidewalk leading to the front door. Jenna has the door open and is waiting for him with a smile before he can even lift his leg to make the ascent up the five stone steps leading up to her.

"I'm sorry. Traffic was terrible." He tells her as he leans in and gives her a hug once he reaches her. Damon considered Jenna a part of his family now, her and Alaric had been dating for nearly four years and he had witnessed firsthand what a kind woman she was. Damon didn't have much family left, meaning the holidays were something he tried, in years past, to avoid. Since Jenna had stepped into Alaric's life, she had gone out of her way to make sure Damon wasn't left out. He was always invited over when they would host events, and he would always graciously cook as a sign of gratitude towards their gesture.

"It's alright. We were just getting a bit worried since you weren't answering our texts, but I'm glad you didn't since you were driving." She tries to take the grocery bags from Damon but he quickly refuses and pulls them away from her grasp. "Of course, I should know better. Always a gentleman."

"Well, that all depends now, is my favorite dessert on the menu?" He asks with a raised eyebrow. Damon was very fond of her pecan pie. The recipe had been passed down from her great grandmother and even though she trusted him, she refused to spill the family secret. This, however, did not deter him from trying to sneak it out of her from time to time.

She immediately holds a finger up to her lips in response to his question. "You have to keep it on the down low. I only made one, which means we need to wait until everyone leaves before you can dig in."

He laughs and follows her through the marble foyer and down the hallway towards the kitchen. The house was bigger than what Alaric and Jenna had needed, and although she complained about cleaning it, he knew she absolutely loved the place. Jenna had grown up modestly in the suburbs and it was obvious the money hadn't changed who she was, she was still down to earth and easy to talk to, which was most likely what brought her and Alaric together in the first place. All of his previous girlfriends had been high maintenance and materialistic. They had taken more interest in what was in his wallet than his passion for his work and for life. Damon had warned Alaric repeatedly at the start of every new relationship, he never had to do it with Jenna.

When they reach the kitchen he walks to an empty part of the counter and sets the plastic grocery bags down. He begins to take the items out of the bag and looks up when he feels as though he's being watched. Jenna is leaning against the granite island eyeing him.

"What is it?" He asks as he continues to unpack.

"Nothing." She lies at first and he gives her a look of knowing. "I just…I was wondering if you were ok? Ric told me not to ask, but I can't help it."

He stops unpacking and braces his hands on the cool countertop.

"I am." He tells her. "Don't feel wrong for asking. It's a complicated situation." He walks over to the fridge and retrieves a beer. "Truth is, it wasn't going to last either way." He pops the top off and chucks it into the garbage can before taking a swig. "You may not know this, but I've told Ric many times in the past when he was getting into a bad relationship. I was always right. He told me the same thing about Katherine, and just like him I chose to ignore the advice."

She looked rather worried for a moment and it caused him to chuckle.

"Don't worry yourself Jenna. I told him that he'd end up marrying you. Like I said, I'm always right when it comes to seeing his relationships for what they are."

He sets his beer down on the counter and puts the ground beef in the fridge for later. It was still just a tad bit too early to start the burgers once Jenna confirmed what time they wanted to serve food. Their conversation was interrupted when Alaric came in through the open back patio door juggling empty beer bottles in his hands.

"We need more beer out there." Alaric says to Jenna before realizing Damon was in the room. "Hey, buddy! What the hell took you so long? Don't tell me you've been here the whole time, I know you well enough by now. Your beer is still three quarters of the way full."

Damon shakes Alaric's hand roughly and gives him a pat on the back.

"I was waiting for the beer to be cold."

"It's always cold." Alaric says.

"More like skunked."

"Not this time." Alaric says.

"Good to know." Damon says as he smirks and takes another swig of his beer. Just then a woman steps through the open patio door to join the trio in the kitchen. Upon seeing her Damon pulls the bottle away from his lips. Damon falls silent as she talks to both Alaric and Jenna about the beer situation.

"The coolers are getting empty." She tells them.

"Already on it." Alaric comments.

Damon is silent during the conversation as he studies her from across the kitchen. She was stunning; he could not deny the fact. Her dark brown locks hung messily over her tanned shoulders which were glistening in the sunlight that was streaming in through the windows. The long pink sundress she was wearing flowed freely around her. When she realized he was present and it wasn't just Jenna and Alaric, her confident demeanor seemed to change in an instant, as if she was unsure of herself and guarded.

"Elena, I'd like you to meet Damon." Jenna said as she looked between the two of them. "Damon, this is my niece, Elena. She's in town for work from California."

Then, in another instant, her demeanor changed once again as if she had already known of him. He had a sneaking suspicion that Jenna had already told her all about him, because the uneasy look on her face diminished and instead was replaced by a smile, which he returned generously. He moved around the counter and stopped a couple of feet away from her. He held out his hand for her to take and when she did he brought it up to his lips and planted a gentle kiss on the back of her hand.

"A pleasure to meet you, Elena." He said with a smirk. It was hard for him to tell due to the suppressed lighting indoors, but he believed he had made her blush. Her lips parted slightly as she maintained eye contact with him, and it took Alaric to bring them out of their friendly introduction.

"Well. Damon, why don't you help me with the beer in the garage? We need to get more in the cooler before people become feral."

"Sure." Damon says as follows Alaric past Elena and Jenna. He doesn't look back as he follows Alaric down the hallway, leaving the two women to talk amongst themselves.

"What the hell was that, Romeo?" Alaric asks once they're in the garage. Damon remains silent as Alaric hands him two cases of beer that are stacked on top of one another. "Really, no response?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Let me just remind you of something." Alaric says, he pauses and looks at Damon in a serious manner. "If you're thinking about what I think you're thinking about, be careful."

"Are you warning me about her, or are you afraid I'm going to do something irredeemable?"

Alaric sighs. "That's Elena, she's going to be my niece in a matter of months, but I already consider her family. If you hurt her, I'll break your other knee."

"Fair enough." Damon responds. "Does that mean I have your blessing to pursue?"

Alaric simply groans.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The fire was dwindling dangerously low at only eight o'clock. The men were camped out at the table on the deck playing poker, while the only two women left, Elena and Jenna, sat around the fire talking amongst themselves. There was nowhere else where Elena Gilbert wanted to be at the moment. The crackling of the fire was soothing and the sight of the flames dancing mesmerized her. She relished in the fact that she didn't need to go back to work for more than a month. The hours were taking their toll, even at twenty-four years old and the things going on in her personal life just added to her stress.

She was dealing with more in her life at the moment than many people had to deal with in a lifetime. The last year had been primarily filled with going back and forth to doctor's appointments, scheduling and undergoing numerous surgeries, and dealing with the emotional aftermath of having nothing left. To make matters more difficult, she also found herself at the center of her mother's ongoing battle with the same disease that she was cured of. Her mother's situation was something entirely different, it was scary and terrible, and at times she wasn't sure who she could even talk to about it. Jenna was the only one that understood, it was her sister afterall, but Elena also knew it was hard for Jenna to talk about, she was afraid of losing her only sibling.

"How are you doing sweetie?" Jenna asks as she sets her hand on Elena's knee.

Elena doesn't answer her for a moment. Truth was, she was tired and worn down.

"I'm okay."

Elena knew what her question was referring too, but didn't feel like talking about it. It would just ruin her night, and so far it had been going rather well for her. Most days she felt alone, unable to talk those around her. Even though people would ask how she was doing, she knew they would never understand so she usually didn't talk about it.

Jenna excused herself, citing she needed to get a sweatshirt because she was still cold, even around the fire. Elena declined Jenna's offer of bring one for her as well, even though the goose bumps on her arms told a different story. After Jenna was gone Elena's mind began to swirl with overwhelming thoughts of guilt and regret. She had partially blamed herself for not asking her mother whether or not she had been screened, she was over forty-five and the preventive care was something more important than anyone had thought. After her diagnosis things changed. Elena's doctor, upon hearing that her mother had been diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer, had encouraged Elena to be tested to see if she carried the BRAC I and BRCA II genes. When the testing came back positive she immediately underwent preventative screening in which calcifications we're found in her left breast. Surgery was her best option, and so, she parted with a piece of herself to save her own life.

Before Elena can even realize it the tears that had been brimming in her eyes had started to spill over. For a moment she thought about stopping, but for the last three months that's all she had done. At that moment, she didn't want to stop, she wanted the weight lifted off of her, even if it was just wishful thinking that it would make her feel better. She was so focused on her thoughts she hadn't seen his shadow or felt his presence behind her at first. It was the warm fabric of the blanket he had draped over her shoulders that had caught her attention fully, which then caused her to discreetly wipe at her eyes.

"I don't know what you're used to in California, but the nights get chilly here in September." He says as he takes a seat next to her, leaving a comfortable amount of space between them. She doesn't make eye contact with him at first in fear that he will notice her moment of weakness; if he already had he hadn't showed it.

"I grew up here, I'm well aware." She tells him. Her response came out rather rough, and she realized it as soon as she said it. She watched as he grabbed the fire poker from its resting place against the brick pit and began to rearrange the fire. When she first laid eyes on him she immediately noticed his physique, it was impossible not to notice, but when he had neared her she became mesmerized by his blue eyes and gorgeous smile. Jenna had been trying to introduce the two of them for quite some time, but there was always something that prevented it until now. Jenna believed the two could become good friends, and had told her about what Damon had gone through. Though, she had never mentioned just how gorgeous he was to look at.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it the way it sounded." She tells him.

He turns on his heels while crouched near the flames. She can only see half of his face, but his smile was evident.

"No worries." He tells her.

Once he's satisfied with the job he's done he moves back to the previous spot he had claimed next to her. Although he isn't extremely close she can smell a hint of cologne lingering in the air, but it was soon replaced by the smell of burning wood.

"The burgers were really good." She complements him. She found herself slightly unsure of what to say, his charm and confidence caught her off guard just as she was starting to get used to being the one that was always calm and collected. "And thank you for the blanket."

He nods and changes the subject, looking for no gratitude for his thoughtfulness.

"So, if you don't mind my asking. What is it that you do for a living?"

She smiles slightly at the light conversation.

"I work in the movie industry." She tells him. The look on his face immediately causes her to laugh, because she immediately knows what he is thinking and slaps him in the upper arm. "Really? Not that kind of movie industry!" He holds his hands up in innocence as he chuckles out loud.

"I didn't say anything." He tells her.

"That smirk on your face says otherwise. And since you've already bowed out of the poker game I'm suspecting that is your tell. Am I correct?"

"I'm going to need to have a talk with your aunt. She's giving away too many secrets." He turns around and pretends to be looking for Jenna, but quickly turns his attention back to her. He politely pushes her to continue.

"Anyway, I'm an actress." As she started naming off some of her work he just stared at her. She knew he hadn't seen any of them, it was blatantly obvious. "You have no idea do you?"

She wasn't upset or offended, actually, it was quite humorous.

"I'm sorry, I don't watch many movies. Unless their based on sports, then maybe I'll think about it." He tells her. "But I have no doubt that you are very talented. How did you get into that career?"

"I just fell in love with theatre at an early age. I actually started my career here in Chicago with small roles and once I started to get recognition everything just kind of snowballed. I hear you're somewhat of a celebrity yourself around here. Hockey, right?" She asks. "Alaric talks about it still, how good you are."

He laughs to himself, somewhat painfully. "Not much good anymore I'm afraid. I blew out my knee about four years ago." He stretches his leg out and runs his finger along the multiple scars covering the skin over and around his knee cap. She can make them out rather well considering the lighting, in fact, she had wondered if the shadows dancing around the edges made them appear worse. "I've had multiple surgeries and each time it seems to get a little worse. Finally, I just gave up and came to the reality that my career was over. Playing hockey wasn't worth screwing it up even more. It's bad enough now in the cold weather that I get arthritis and Alaric calls me Gimpy."

"That's terrible."

"It's okay. I give him a lot of shit too." He admits. "Have you ever been to a hockey game?"

"Never." She tells him honestly. "I've never known anyone that was very interested in it. Most people around me back in Los Angeles are more interested in fashion than sports. Although, there are a lot of people that jump on the Lakers band wagon and go to the games even though they know nothing about basketball."

"Well, what if I could teach you how to show up all your friends back on the west coast?"

"I'm listening." She says, waiting for the pitch.

"I happen to have two tickets to the Hawks game next Friday. It's a preseason game but I have booth seats. Would you like to go with me?"

"Are you asking me out on a date Mr. Salvatore?" She asks with an adorable grin.

"That depends. Are you into old men with arthritis?"

She pauses for a moment, thinking about his offer. It had been years since she had been on a date. When her and Matt starting seeing one another they would do things together all of the time, and as the years passed he had wanted to go out less. Most of the time his excuses involved the cameras that followed. While she liked to be at home, she also liked to dress up and go out for a night on the town. She liked having fun and at that moment she realized she hadn't really been out in a very long time.

"Maybe."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Friday couldn't come fast enough for him, the days seemed to crawl by at the grill and everything he seemed to do was always interrupted with thoughts of her. Even as he was getting ready he couldn't seem to keep his thoughts from wandering. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this excited about being in the presence of a woman and when he thought about it his heart rate seemed to spike from his nerves.

"So who is she?" Stefan asks. He is leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed watching as his older brother buttons up his dark blue dress shirt.

Damon was caught off guard by the sudden interruption, but doesn't show it as he refuses to look up at his brother through the long vertical mirror in his closet.

"A woman." Damon responds coldly. "One that I'm not letting you near, brother. So you can stop prodding."

Damon still wasn't over the fact that Stefan had slept with his previous girlfriend. The relationship wasn't going to work, Damon knew that and he believes Katherine did as well. The spark between them faded after just over a year and it became increasingly clear that the interests and life goals they thought they shared were not one of the same. Katherine valued material objects over memories and family, while Damon focused on spending time with his ailing mother. His increasing absence in their relationship caused Katherine boredom, which he speculated was a contributing factor of her finding attention elsewhere. She was scared of sickness and death and had never once, in the year they had been together, went with him to visit with his mother. He knew he should have ended it sooner, for the act of selfishness on her part set fire to his blood. He considered himself a caring and thoughtful man, and had shown on almost every occasion they were together that he adored her. His thoughtful actions, however, were rarely returned. Although it wasn't something a man would talk about or admit, he, like many, wished for attention in return.

"Have you found a place yet?" Damon asks as he finishes with his shirt. He works on smoothing out the front and looks back at his brother, who is now looking down at the floor as if it were talking to him instead.

Damon walks over to Stefan and stands in front of him. "Figure it out quickly. The locks are changing next Friday." Damon squeezes Stefan's shoulder hard before walking past him and grabbing his keys from the table near the door. He leaves Stefan with only the sound of the front door slamming.

Damon checks his watch in the elevator. He was slightly early, but didn't want to be bothered with his brothers company. He was already agitated, something he tried desperately to let go of. He was fairly good at containing his emotions, but had trouble forgiving, meaning the resent he held for his brother was something that was still plaguing him.

As she stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection, she couldn't stop her smile from fading to a self-conscious frown. When she had picked out this little black dress from Macy's a few days prior with Caroline and Bonnie, she had hoped it would make her feel good. However, after trying it on again and realizing the cut was too low for her to try and manipulate the padding in the left side of her bra without it being noticeable, she felt trapped.

"Maybe I should just cancel." She says under her breath as she sighs.

Her two friends immediately jump up from their positions on the edge of the bed and rush over to her side.

"Elena, don't be silly. You look beautiful." Bonnie tells her as she stands next to her, peering into the mirror at her best friend's image. "And I'm sure he will think the exact same thing."

"And if he doesn't then you just text us and bail on the date." Caroline interjects. "This is your chance to see if he's interested in you or your boobs."

Caroline was right, the last thing she needed was another man who felt uncomfortable about her situation. She herself already felt like part of her was missing, she didn't need someone else to make her feel even worse about her body. Her ex-boyfriend had been supportive until she had gone through with her mastectomy. After that he made subtle comments to try and get her to constantly cover up, and their intimacy had fallen off the deep end immediately after.

"I just don't want people taking pictures. It's hard enough to be going out in public like this, let alone having the pictures show up in a magazine for people to judge."

"Sweetie, who cares? You have to remember that no matter what anyone else thinks, all that matters is that you feel good about yourself."

"Yeah, you loved this dress when you picked it out. So own it." Caroline says. "But if you feel uncomfortable, just put this over you."

Elena takes the light sweater from Caroline and studies it for a moment before agreeing. It was an out for her if her self-consciousness started to settle in, it was already starting to show its ugly head by taking away her happiness of going on a date.

Before anyone of them can say another word, Elena's cell phone rings, she picks it up from the table a few feet away and looks at the screen.

"It's him."

He had called her from the lobby once he found a temporary parking spot in front of the hotel. She assured him she'd only be a few minutes and sure enough a few minutes later the elevator door opened and she stepped out. The little black dress she was wearing was hugging her figure in a way that made his temperature rise instantly. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and wasn't exactly sure what to say as she got closer to him. He was pretty sure that she could tell by his expression, because she was blushing slightly as she stopped in front of him.

He opened his mouth to say something and hesitated for a moment, he then smiled and laughed at how horribly she made him stumble for words. Never once since he had started dating and talking to women had he been at a loss for words. He noticed, in fact, that it was typically the other way around. Women use to stammer and giggle around him as if they weren't sure what exactly to say to his charm.

"You look nice." She tells him softly.

"You...I can't even tell you. You look gorgeous, Elena." He finally settles for just that.

He swallows the lump in his throat and holds out his arm for her to take.

"You're going to be the end of me, you know that right?" He says with a chuckle. She laughs and takes his arm as they walk out of the lobby.

"Let's see where tonight gets us." She tells him while patting his bicep.

He had been anticipating her reaction when they pulled up to his bar and grill, which he hadn't told her about. He was surprised when she had no reaction. He had wondered if she would be expecting a fancy restaurant, but if she was disappointed he couldn't tell.

Damon opened the front door for her and she was immediately greeted by one of Damon's employees.

"Can we get a table for two?" Elena says. Damon smiles from behind her and steps next to her, letting his hand rest on the small of her back.

"It's a little loud in here. Follow me." He tells her as he grabs her hand and leads her through the crowd. Elena looks back at the young woman that she had been asking for a table from, looking for some sort of explanation. All she got was a smile.

Elena looks around the room and tries to take the place in a bit until he abruptly stops and she almost runs into him. When she turns around she is face to face with a closed door. As he opens it for her she is rather surprised by what lies behind the door. The lighting in this room was dimmer than the main one they had just come from and there was a single table in the middle with two chairs positioned across from one another. There was a single candle lit in the center of the table and it looked as though everything had been set for quite some time.

"You didn't think I was going to let you eat fish and chips on our first date, did you?" He smirks and walks over to one of the chairs. He pulls it out and motions for her to sit down, which she does as she continues to take in the beautiful room. The walls were covered in brick veneer, giving it a cozy and intimate feel.

"Excuse me for one moment, please." He tells her. He walks out of the room and she immediately takes in a deep breath. She felt herself getting slightly nervous as no one had ever gone out of their way this much to create something so nice. When he re-entered the room with two plates of food she was even more astonished.

"I hope you're okay with Filet Mignon." He says as he sets a plate in front of her.

"Did you make this?" She asks as she looks at the vegetables, potatoes and meat in front of her.

"Yes." He tells her. "I didn't know how you liked your meat cooked. It's medium-well. If you'd more done I can put it back on the grill."

"No." She tells him. "This is exactly how I like it cooked. Thank you." She watches him further as he pours them both a glass of wine and when he finally sits down to join her at the table they find themselves in silence. As she begins to eat she can't believe how good the meal in front of her is. The filet melted in her mouth and when the garlic potatoes were gone she suddenly wished she had more.

"Damon, this is so good." She tells him before taking a sip of wine.

"I'm glad you like it." He tells her. He takes of sip of his wine as well and after setting it back down on the table, stop and watches her for a moment. When she notices she immediately stops eating, feeling awkward.

"What?" She asks him with a shy smile.

"Nothing." He tells her with a smile. "I'm just glad you agreed to this. I'm happy you're here."

She holds his gaze more confidently than before. "Me too."

"So, tell me about yourself. I know you played hockey, but I don't know much else about you." She tells him.

He sets his napkin on the table and clears his throat before he begins.

"Well, I grew up down south in Louisiana. We moved to the northwest suburbs of Chicago when I was ten and my parents divorced. My mother had family close by here and it felt like the safe option, which is why she decided to move and take my brother and I with her. Her life in Louisiana wasn't a good one to say the least. Without having to go into details, my father was emotionally abusive towards her, if he was towards me I can't remember and she wouldn't tell me, even before she passed." He takes a quick sip of his wine before continuing. "I started playing hockey when I was eleven. She spent most of her paycheck on my travel team and gear and while we didn't have much back then she was always so happy. She loved the fact that I played hockey and she constantly told everyone she had a good feeling about me making it big."

"Smart mom." Elena comments.

"Yeah, she was. She didn't give up on me, that's for sure." He smiles at the thought. "During my short lived career, she came to all of my home games and she'd watch all of the road games on television. When I'd get back to the locker room and check my phone I'd always have an encouraging voice mail from her, win or lose. That was pretty special."

Elena smiles and listens to him closely. As he contemplates on bringing up the next part, he knows it was likely Jenna had already filled Elena in on a bit of the information. Although, given Elena's condition, he wasn't sure if it was a good topic to talk about, but decided to take a chance and open up to her.

"When I was thirty, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. That hurt." He tells her truthfully. "I spent that entire year taking her to appointments and treatments. Luckily with the money I had made from in the NHL I was able to pay her bills after it was processed through the insurance. She didn't respond well to the clinical trials, and even after changing drugs her body was still so frail. At some point she decided she didn't want anymore, because it was still slowly spreading. While it was painful to accept her decision, I don't blame her. She was in such a terrible state. It progressed rather quickly once they stopped the treatment."

He looks up from his wine glass, where his attention had been focused, and finds her staring at him with glossy eyes. His heart immediately sinks when he realizes the direction the night was headed. He sighs out loud and reaches across the table and lays his hand over hers, which is sitting motionless against the white table cloth.

"Elena, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry."

"I don't want you to be sorry, Damon." She tells him while wiping at her tears with her free hand. "I'm glad you told me that. I don't know how to say it without it sounding terrible, but it's nice to know that I'm not the only one going through something like this."

"Unfortunately, it seems it's touching just about every family these days. Granted, better quality screenings have led to more early detections and more lives saved. It just seems no matter where you go or who you talk to you just can't get away from it. In my mother's case, she didn't have anyone to push her to get screened. I think she knew it was there even before she was diagnosed, but she was scared. I don't think she wanted to talk to me about it. Naturally it's not something a woman probably wants to discuss with a man, let alone her own son. When she grew up they never went to the doctor for anything and as they aged they were more worried about taking care of their families than themselves."

"It's not that women don't want to talk to men about it." She tells him. "Some just don't seem to take it in the same way. For example, whenever something is brought up about my mother, or if my father even hears a commercial on TV for cancer research, he leaves the room, or sighs. It's not that he doesn't care, he just doesn't like dealing with it. He wants to pretend it's not there. Because of it my mother feels as though she can't talk to him, or when she does she feels as though she's walking on egg shells. Usually, my brother and I are forced to tell him things just so he won't get upset in front of her, because it makes her feel bad. She holds everything inside, and I know she's a strong person, but no one should have to compartmentalize all of that."

"My mother's situation was kind of similar to your mothers; she was so worried about everyone else around her that she didn't get checked. She started having terrible back pain, and we all thought she just needed to see a chiropractor. Well, she ended up needing blood work done, and when her calcium levels came back as irregular, they asked her to come to the hospital for testing. That's when they found it. She had a tumor on her spine that was causing the pain, but it stemmed from the breast cancer. After she was diagnosed the blood tests were done in order to see if she carried the gene, which she did."

"Is that what made you go?" He asks her.

"Yeah. Once her's came back my doctor suggested I be tested as well, only because there was a chance for mine to be negative. I wasn't so lucky. When it came back positive I immediately scheduled screenings. They found calcifications in my left but my right was clear. After finding out I was positive, I didn't want to take a chance. I opted for surgery." She stops speaking for a moment and he can tell she was having a difficult time.

"Who was with you through all of this?" He asks.

"Jenna has helped me, but it's hard for her too since she's also dealing with my mother. I don't ask much of her. While I was in a relationship at the time I can't say he was very supportive. He was at first, he even supported my decision to get a mastectomy until it was over and he saw what was left. He made it very apparent he wasn't attracted to me after that. When I would ask him to help me bathe he would do it but he would distance himself from me, as if I was that atrocious to look at."

The thought of it makes her sick, thinking she had spent so much time working on her relationship with Matt and in the end it was all based on his selfishness. It's not something she wanted to go through again.

"So who takes care of you, Elena?"

She opens her mouth as if she is going to answer, but then appears to be thinking and simply closes it again. She breaks her eye contact with him and he can see her start to blink rapidly.

"I don't like that answer. We're going to have to work on that." He tells her as pulls back his hand and stands up from his seat. He walks behind her chair and leans over, his mouth hovering near her right ear as he rests one hand on her upper arm and his other on the table for support. "You are beautiful. Don't ever doubt that." His voice is just about a whisper and he immediately feels the goose bumps form under his left hand. He hears her breath hitch slightly and he gently removes his hand from her arm and stands up straight. He pulls out her chair for her and holds out his hand for her to take.

"You ready for the second half of tonight?" He asks. She takes it without hesitation and lets him pull her up from her seat.

"Absolutely."

The connection he already felt with her was greater than the connection he had with Katherine after a year. There was something innocent about the young woman he had in his grasp, and something about her made him want to protect her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The atmosphere inside the United Center was cold, and she was starting to regret her outfit of choice. The goose bumps on her arms were visible, and she knew it was only a matter of time before he noticed. After all, she had to do everything in her power not to shiver every now and then when the chill seemed to travel through her body. Even though she was slightly uncomfortable, she was still entirely glad that she had gone through with the date. She hadn't had a relaxing night like this in a long while and him taking care of all the details relieved her. The suite they were in had an amazing view, and it made it much easier for him to point things out and teach her a little about what was going on. It didn't take long for her to immediately start cheering for the team. Her excitement for the game was fueled by his, and as she started to understand it she started to not realize exactly how excited she was getting, until of course, she realized she was squeezing his knee as the Blackhawks almost scored once again.

When he gently grabbed her hand for her to squeeze instead, she realized the mistake she had made. The look on her face must have been obvious, because he immediately smiled at her and laughed.

"Don't worry about it." He tells her. "You didn't hurt me."

She sighs to herself in relief, looks down at his knee and back up into his bright blue eyes. "Does it always bother you?" She asks motioning to his damaged joint.

"Not all the time, it mostly acts up when the weather changes or when I stay sitting too long." He tells her. "It gets a bit stiff, but if you squeeze it the right way it hurts. And no, I'm not going to show you where just in case you get mad at me, I don't want to give away my weaknesses."

He winks at her with a sideways smile, sending shivers up her arms quicker than the cold air. He notices immediately and she watches as he reaches his arm across his lap and sets his hand on her arm.

"Cold?" He asks.

"A little." She admits as she attempts to rub the cold away from her skin now that he's noticed.

"I'll be right back." He tells her as he gets up and shuffles past her. She watches as politely moves past the other people that had joined them in the suite and can't help but notice how his slim fitting dress shirt hugs the muscles in his back just the right way. She had seen many good looking men out on the west coast, and had dated quite a few in the not do distant past, but she had to say that Damon was much more exciting to look at than any of her exes. His hair was neatly messy, which most likely would never make sense to anyone but her. The man took care of himself, it was obvious, and while she wasn't fond of pretty boys, she respected the fact that he seemed to care about his appearance. She couldn't tell if he had shaven this morning, either way she found his stubble adorable. The first two buttons of shirt were undone and when he had rolled his sleeves up after dinner it had driven her crazy watching him do so. Part of her wanted to know what was under the shirt, although she could see outlines, it still was something stuck in the back of her mind, how could it not be?

About thirty seconds later he returns with a blanket draped over his arm and she hopes to all heck she wasn't blushing. He squeezes past the others once again and when he finally reaches her he unfolds the blanket and drapes it over her shoulders.

"Where'd you manage to get this from?" She asks as the fleece immediately blocks the cold air from penetrating her skin.

"There are a few that are kept in the cabinet up there." He tells her, without hesitation he moves his arm to fall around her shoulders and he pulls her as close as he can without making either of them uncomfortable due the plastic armrest sharing the space in between. She smiles to herself as she leans her head against his and continues to watch the game.

"Did you bring me to a frigid ice arena just for an excuse to cozy up to me?" She asks jokingly.

"Did you strategically wear this dress just to see if I was chivalries enough to attempt to keep you warm?" He shoots back. He looks down at her and she cracks a small smile before laughing and backhanding him lightly in the stomach.

"Thank you for the blanket." She tells him as she settles back down to her previous position.

"No worries."

They watch the rest of the game mostly in silence. She didn't want to move due to how comfortable and warm she was, and she had guessed he understood or felt the same way she did, because he didn't move either. Once the game was over and the Blackhawks had claimed the preseason victory they had decided to wait for traffic to calm before attempting to exit the arena.

Their waiter came in about fifteen minutes later and informed them they had to finish cleaning up for the night, politely kicking them out. As they headed towards the door she watched as Damon folded the blanket neatly and placed it back in the cabinet where he had gotten it from. As he nears her she immediately reaches out for his arm and wraps it around his bicep as they exit the suite and head down the hallway towards the elevators. They make their way downstairs and exit the building and as he drives them back to her hotel she can't help but wonder exactly how tonight was going to end. She was never the type of girl that liked being kissed on a first date, it made her uncomfortable and it made it unclear to her the intentions of the prospective relationship. Damon struck her as the type of man that wouldn't push, that would take his time with something he believed in and cared about and he made it very clear that he wasn't going to purposely do anything to make her feel uncomfortable. During their date, she had never once caught him looking down at her chest, he was what her mother would call and gentleman and she knew that her mother, at least, would instantly approve of him. She trusted him already, some of it coming from the fact that he was good friends with Alaric and Jenna, and that he at one time knew what it was like to be in the spot light. She knew he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize her privacy, and that was definitely something that concerned her these days.

The car comes to a stop in the circular drop off driveway in front of the Hilton, she begins to gather her purse, expecting for him to simple end the date. Instead, he surprises her by quickly getting out of the car and walking to the passenger side to assist her. He leaves his car parked, unafraid of getting told to move it due to the time of night and the low volume of traffic in front of the hotel.

"Are you going to be on the boat this weekend?" She asks. Alaric had a yacht that he had purchased, it was one of his first toys and his most beloved and while it may have not been the largest on the lake, it was still quite respectable.

"Who do you think is cooking?" He asks with a smirk as they step into the elevator. He watches her push the button for the 16th floor and they fall into an awkward silence on the way up. She was sure it was because he was thinking the exact same thing she was, how it was going to end. However, he played it off much cooler than her. She was afraid he was going to notice that her breathing pattern had changed and hoped he couldn't see her pulse pounding in her neck. The elevator stops gently, and as the doors open he holds out his hand to motion for her to walk in front of him. Her door wasn't far from the elevator lobby, and she found herself suddenly wishing it had lasted just a little longer. She stops in front of room 1604 and fiddles around with her purse, digging her fingers inside and fishing for the key-card she had placed earlier. When she finds it she closes the clasp and looks back up at him.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, at the boat." She tells him. The way he is looking at her is absolutely mesmerizing, he has a small smirk on his face that she can't quite understand, and as he leans forward she finds herself staring at his plush lips. However, she is completely caught off guard as he places a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Looking forward to it." He tells her after he pulls away. "Thank you for coming out with me tonight. I had a really good time."

"Yeah, of course. Thank you for dinner…and the game…and driving."

He chuckles softly and only nods in response.

"Good-night, Elena."

"Good-night, Damon."

He waits as she inserts her key-card in the reader and heads inside. He gives her a small wave before she closes the door and it makes her feel safe knowing he cares enough to wait and make sure she's safe inside before leaving.

She pulls out her phone and sets her purse on the night stand next to the bed before laying down and seeing she had twelve text messages from Caroline and one from Bonnie. She chuckles to herself and rolls her eyes at how curious Caroline is all the time. She sent the same text to both of them.

_Date went really good. I'll fill you guys in tomorrow._

She knew Caroline would groan and whine as soon as she received the text, for her, the lack of information was unacceptable. But she was tired and Caroline could wait.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Sleep hadn't come to him easily the night before. After he had driven home he had found his thoughts wander to the time they had spent together and the excitement of seeing her again in only a matter of twelve hours or so was enough to solidify his insomnia. When sleep did come it was in spurts and it seemed to take an eternity to fall again once he opened his eyes. He wondered while laying there if there were a chance that she was up as well, thinking of the same things that were running through his mind. After he had gotten home he had texted her the picture that they had taken at the game, again, letting her know he had a great time and apologizing if he had woken her. To his delight she had texted back immediately thanking him with a little pink heart attached to her message. He knew it was something entirely innocent, but it didn't help calm his emotions. He could tell Elena still had a small amount of confidence left in herself when it came to actually talking to people, but as far as physical confidence over her appearance, he knew she need reassurance. It was the uncomfortable way she carried herself when she was face to face with people she didn't know or trust that gave her away. She would immediately cross her arms across her chest, as if closing herself off from the world. He knew all about what this disease did to its host. Even if someone was cured it was often what was left in the aftermath which caused the most heartache. His mother had raised him to always make others feel good about themselves and to always try to lift peoples sprits. It wasn't a lesson ever spoken to him, it was something he observed her do and it was a mindset he adopted years ago and the first time he acted on it was when he shaved his head when his mother had lost her hair from the therapy. While it wasn't as awkward of a thing for him to do, it made her smile and laugh, which was all he needed to see and hear.

It was ten o'clock when he finally decided to get up. Not that he had decided, it was more due to the fact that Stefan was making an obscene amount of racket in the living room and it was hard for him to even think about closing his eyes again. Although, when he looked at the alarm clock on his nightstand he was somewhat thankful for his younger brother's annoyance, otherwise he would have shown up late and Ric wouldn't let him hear the end of it. That would have made it twice in row he was late for one of his best friends functions.

Damon opens the door to his bedroom and steps out, his eyes still half closed and his hair spiked in every directions known to man. "What on earth are you doing?" He asks as tries to rub away the tiredness from his eyes. He should have known, he had learned long ago that it never worked. There were cardboard boxes strewn across the living room and perched on his couch and he watched as Stefan looked around with his hands on his hips, as if trying to accomplish something.

"I'm packing." He says.

"So you found a place." Damon says somewhat hopeful. It wasn't that Damon didn't love his little brother, he always would and no matter what would still take a bullet for the kid, but he just couldn't be in the same house with him at the time. He needed to deal with the mistrust he had for Stefan, and having him across the hall in the guest bedroom wasn't working.

"You can say that." Stefan breaks his eye contact with Damon and his awkward actions speak louder than any words could. At that moment he felt sick.

"You're moving in with her." It was a statement, not a question. Either way, Stefan would have never answered. Damon controls his anger and instead takes a deep breath and walks back into his bedroom, but it doesn't stop him from slamming the door behind him. Stefan never tried to talk to Damon, he never tried to explain himself or his actions. When Damon would walk away Stefan would let him. He was not the type to try and redeem himself. Frankly, he acted as if he didn't give a shit about Damon's forgiveness. It was infuriating to him to know that their mother raised the both of them and Stefan somehow turned out much different.

Damon takes a shower and gets dressed; grabbing a plain white t-shirt from his closet and a pair of khaki cargo shorts. He packs his swim trunks in a bag just in case the lake looked inviting at some point but they were too uncomfortable to wear all day. He had learned his lesson after the inner meshing had left indentations on sensitive areas on one outing. He puts on his watch and grabs his cell phone and keys from the nightstand. When he walks back out of the bedroom Stefan was nowhere to be found, but he could hear faint sounds coming from the bedroom that Stefan currently occupied, so he left quickly as to not get into another uncomfortable conversation.

He drove to the Burnham Harbor and parked his A8 in the owner's parking lot. Alaric had three passes for the parking lot right off the dock and had always given Damon one so he would never need to walk too far, as if he thought Damon's leg was going to fall off. He knew though, it was most likely Jenna's doing. Jenna was always looking out for Damon, and at some point it somewhat made him feel bad. He knew she worried about him, and she had shown him pity more than once, which he really didn't need. But, she was the type of person his mother was, always ready to help and lend an ear. He truly felt like a third wheel at times, which is why he was glad there were going to be other guests on the boat besides just him.

As he walks up to the boat he sees Jenna wiping down the leather on the chairs. He carefully steps on board, wincing only slightly as he stands on his left leg, all the weight hitting his knee.

"Morning, Jenna." He says as he walks over to her and gives her a hug and a kiss. "Need help?"

"No, but you may want to go see if you can help Ric. He can't get the engine started and he's freaking out a little bit." She sets the rag down for a moment and moves the hair from her face. "Okay, maybe a lot a bit."

"I'll go check on him." He tells her. He sets his bag down on the one of the seats and walks to the cabin, where Ric is perched in the captain's seat trying desperately to turn the engine over.

"What seems to be the problem, my friend?" Damon asks as he slaps Alaric on the back roughly. He takes a look at the instrument cluster. It was confusing to say the least, too many gadgets and button and lights. Frankly, Damon had no idea how he was going to be of any help.

"We're out of fuel."

"What? You can hold like 1,900 gallons. How the hell did you run out of fuel?"

Alaric puts his head in his hands and rubs his face. It was a rookie mistake, but he still wasn't sure how he had made it. They talked for a few moments amongst themselves and finally realized the only way they were going to get her running was by filling her up with fuel tanks, meaning the two of them would need to run back and forth multiple times so they could get it to the fueling dock. And so, for the next hour they walked back and forth with diesel filled containers. Damon laughed a few times and shook his head at how ridiculous the situation was and he sure as hell wasn't going to let Alaric live this one down. He had already begged Damon not to tell anyone about it, and Damon was still trying to decide what path to take.

After dumping the countless gallons in the tank, Alaric took his place back in the captain's chair and cracks his knuckles. "Let's hope this little snack gets us somewhere." He says. He pushes the button and the engines fire up immediately. The excitement it brings to his nervous friend causes Damon to chuckle.

"I'll untie us." Damon says as he heads to the aft of the boat. When he exits the main cabin he sees three young women standing on the dock, each of them carrying a large bag of their own and talking to Jenna. He immediately pauses when he realizes it's her, she looks different than yesterday, more casual and relaxed looking in her blue sun dress and dark shades. He had to assume that the two women behind her were her friends, which they hadn't gotten to talk about yet.

Damon walks the rest of the way to the end of the boat and puts on a smile as he looks at the three of them, primarily Elena.

"Hey, Damon." Elena says with an innocent smile. He says hello in return and can't help but wonder what exactly her friends were giggling about behind her. Whatever it was, Elena simply ignored and stepped closer to the edge of the boat. He took her bag from her first and set it down on one of the seats before extending his hand to her to assist her onboard. She takes it without hesitation and he carefully lifts her up. He lets go of her hand but is immediately met with a hug, one that surprises him since there are three other women watching closely, one of them being her aunt. She pulls away from him quickly and looks down at his shirt. "Why do you smell like gasoline?"

"It's diesel. You're soon to be uncle ran out of fuel, so we just spent the last hour walking back and forth from the fueling station just so he can get it started and get it over to the dock so he can fill it up the rest of the way."

Elena chuckles slightly while directing her attention over towards Alaric. Damon immediately assists her two friends onto the boat and the introductions are immediate, Elena not wasting time to point out Caroline and Bonnie.

"Very nice to meet you." He tells both of them as he shakes their hands. He feels slightly uncomfortable under Caroline's gaze, which was somewhat evaluative as she looked him up and down. Bonnie on the other hand, was more laid back and was already getting settled on the boat. The situation starts to become somewhat awkward as Caroline begins to ask him questions about his age, which Elena immediately scolds her for.

"Caroline, stop it." Elena tells her in a warning tone. It was obvious to him that Caroline was somewhat of a skeptic and wasn't afraid to speak her mind or ask inappropriate questions. If it was her way of protecting Elena then he didn't mind the least bit, because it meant she actually looked out for the people she loved, which was more than admirable, even if it was slightly annoying.

"Come on, let's go!" Alaric yells from his seat as he makes a gesture to Damon to hurry the process up.

"Why don't you girls get settled? We are about to push off to head into the fueling dock." He smirks at Elena and moves past her, stepping off the boat just as Alaric fires up the engines. The boat moves ever so slightly, causing him to loose his footing and stumble onto the dock.

"Ric! Be careful, Damon almost fell!" Jenna yells back to her fiancé, somewhat irritated by his impatience.

Damon swears under his breath as he bends down with his hands on his knees. He shakes his head, slightly irritated by his friend's embarrassment and eagerness to get going.

"I'll meet you over on the other side!" Damon says loudly as he unties the ropes and throws them on board. He limps away from the boat, hoping to hell that the pain in his knee when he tweaked it was going to go away by just walking it off. Otherwise, he was afraid it was going to ruin his day and his mood.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The sun was out in full force as they cruised along the shore on their way out of the harbor into open water. Everyone had found a seat and was watching the skyline drift by, well, that is everyone except for Damon, who was rolling up the extra rope and putting it away in one of the on board compartments so no one would trip over it. He hadn't said much since he had gotten back on the yacht, and as she observed him she didn't notice him limping much anymore, if anything, he seemed just a bit irritated.

In hopes to get him back to having a good time she grabs a beer from the cooler and walks over to him. He must have not realized she was standing behind him, because when she set a hand on his back he jumped slightly and turned around quickly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." She tells him as she searches his eyes. He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. She sets her free hand on his arm and he immediately looks back at her. "Are you okay?" She asks, genuinely concerned. He was acting completely different than the night before, and it worried her to see him in such a manner. There was something more on his mind than he was letting on and she was determined to find out what it was that was plaguing him.

"I brought you a beer." She tells him hoping to lighten the mood. She immediately opens the can and shrieks when the liquid gold starts to overflow and hit the wooden deck of the boat. Damon quickly grabs the can from her and brings it up to his lips, trying to drink the foam and liquid before it gets out of control. In the process he gets it all over the front of his shirt, leaving him smelling even worse than before.

"Well, just take it off." She tells him as a solution. She hadn't realized when she said it what she was actually saying and immediately felt the heat rise in her cheeks which she knew he noticed because he raises his eyebrows in surprise.

"Did you purposely shake up my beer just so I'd take my shirt off for you?" He asks with a devilish smirk. She doesn't answer him, instead grabs one of the towels that Jenna had been using and tries to wipe at the front of his shirt, drying up only a partial amount of the liquid. He grabs her hand and holds it against his chest, prying the towel away gently. "It's okay." He tells her.

Her eyes are focused on her hand, which is clutched tightly in his and even with prying eyes watching them he doesn't let go of her. She doesn't mind, because at the moment he has her attention completely. There was something about the way he looked at her that captivated her. As if she was the only thing he was focused on and the only thing that mattered at the time. It made her nervous, but at the same time also made her feel warm and appreciated.

"I'll buy you a new one." She tells him. Chills run down her arms as he brings her hand up to his mouth and places his lips against her knuckles. His lips were soft and the stubble on his chin tickles her skin. She vowed to herself she wouldn't jump too quickly with him, but if he kept up the subtle touches and glances she wasn't sure she'd be able to help herself. To say he was seductive and sexy was an understatement, the stubble on his cheeks was prominent against his somewhat pale skin, and his kindness and gentle nature only heighted her attraction towards him.

"I'm not worried about it." He tells her. He takes that moment to pull away from her and look down at her dress and then back up into her eyes. She doesn't feel uncomfortable in the least bit, as his attention doesn't linger on any one place for long. "You look nice today, if I haven't told you."

Before she can open her mouth to speak they are interrupted by the sound of Caroline's voice over the humming of the engines.

Elena tears her attention away from Damon and turns it instead to the blonde sitting at the table about six feet away from them. Elena knew there was no stopping the questioning that was about ensue. When Caroline had her mind set on something, she was determined and there was no stopping her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear what you said." Damon says as he leaves Elena's side and walks over to the table.

"It was a question." Caroline says. "I was asking what you do for a living?"

Elena watches as Damon puts a forced smile on his face and sits down in one the empty seats. He picks the one at the head of the table, sitting directly across from his interrogator. He clasps his hand on top of the table and leans into it.

"You're better off just telling her everything about yourself, that way she runs out of questions." Bonnie says as she continues to read her magazine. She flips the pages and ignores that stare that Caroline is now giving her. "Just sayin'."

Damon chuckles slightly and takes a sip of his beer before starting.

"Well, I used to play hockey here in Chicago. But I injured my knee and can't play anymore. So, I opened my own bar and grill and I've been doing pretty well at that."

"So you make a decent amount of money?" Caroline asks.

"Caroline." Elena warns. She's starting to be uncomfortable herself, seeing as she didn't even get a chance to talk to Damon about some of this stuff Caroline was questioning about. She wanted to learn more about him herself, not through Caroline's rude questioning.

"I make enough to live comfortably and to do the things I want to do." He tells her.

"Do you live in a house or an apartment?"

"I live in an apartment with my brother."

"Does he live with you, or do you live with him?"

"He lives with me, but he's moving out."

"Why?"

"That my dear, is something I don't care to talk about."

Elena watches as Damon shifts in his chair and leans back, taking his hands off the table. He takes a sip of his beer and plays with the tab on his can. Caroline keeps up with her questioning, but Damon seems to have lost interest slightly.

Elena was feeling more than upset about the situation as each minute ticked by. His demeanor was changing once again, as it had before she had spilled his beer all over the front of his shirt. She determined that there was more to the relationship with his brother and it was something that weighed on him in a terrible way.

"Let me ask you something." Damon interrupts Caroline, causing her to be caught off guard. He leans forward once again, this time keeping his hands under the table. "Is the only reason you're asking me all these questions because you're protecting your friend, or because you're convinced that all men are exactly the same and you're trying to gather more evidence against the ones that actually care?"

"Both." Caroline answers quickly and honestly.

"What about women?" He asks her. "You're so convinced it's just in our nature to not care and to hurt you, but what you don't realize is that while there are men out there that are complete dicks, there are also plenty of women out there that are exactly the same. If everyone thought like you did, then the people that had their hearts broken would never try to find someone genuine and would give up entirely. Me on the other hand, I choose to trust, because I know not all of you women are crazy psychopaths who sleep around and break hearts."

"Are you calling me a psycho?" Caroline narrows her eyes at Damon and crosses her arms in disbelief.

Damon chuckles and shakes his head. "No, you're just not listening. I respect that you are trying to protect your friend, it's a great thing. I'm just saying you're view is flawed and you need to take a step back and look at the world in another perspective. If I didn't like Elena so much, you might have scared me away. But I've become a pretty good judge of character. I know Elena is a genuinely good person, and I know the two of you are as well, not that I know you, but I know if you weren't she would most likely have ended her friendship with you long ago. I don't mind you asking questions, Caroline. I just want a fair chance, because I feel I deserve that at least."

Elena mouth hangs open slightly at the sight of her best friend speechless form just staring at Damon. She rarely knew Caroline to be unsure of herself, and Damon and literally just taken all of the feistiness out of her.

"If you ladies will excuse me. I'm going to go change my shirt." Damon says as he stands up from his chair and motions for Elena to sit down where he had been. Once she's seated he pushes her chair in for her and gives her shoulder a slight squeeze before walking away from the group of women.

"He's a smart man, you should listen to him." Jenna comments once he's out of range to hear. She looks back out over the water with a grin on her face, one that becomes contagious.

"I've never seen Caroline Forbes speechless. He's okay by me." Bonnie teases as she sets down her magazine and takes off her sunglasses. Elena smiles at her, appreciating her approval and only wishing that Caroline would have been that easy.

"Caroline?"

"I guess I can give him a chance." Caroline says rolling her eyes. "But if he hurts you I'm going to kick him in the nuts."

The group of women burst out laughing and Elena cannot help but chuckle herself. She knew Caroline would never admit that she approved of her dating Damon, so she just decided to take her threat and run with it.

It was five o'clock and the boat was anchored just far enough off shore for them to be able to see most of the skyline and didn't have any close neighbors to worry about. He was happy the situation hadn't become awkward after the conversation that had taken place earlier and even as they all sat at the table and ate the brats and hot dogs that Damon had grilled, the setting was relaxing and filled with light conversations and banter. Damon smiled as he watched Elena polish off two brats and was even more delighted when she piled two spoons worth of sauerkraut on each. The woman continued to amaze him, and he loved the fact that she didn't pick at her food like a bird. Jenna started to clear the table and Elena immediately got up to help. Damon watched her as she placed the dirty paper plates in a trash bag and even started to clean up around the grill where Damon had been working. He stands up and walks over to her, grabbing her wrist gently as he comes to stand next to her.

"I'll clean that up later." He tells her. "I was going to go for a swim. Do you want to join me?" He asks. He was getting tired of smelling of booze and diesel, and jumping into the lake to refresh seemed like the best option. He can see the uncertainty written all over her face and she shifts uncomfortably in front of him. He can see her hot pink bikini strap around her neck and knows that isn't the issue. She's insecure, and he doesn't push. "You don't have too, Elena."

"I just don't know." She tells him.

"It's okay." He tells her with a reassuring smile. "I'll be right back, I'm going to change."

He walks away from her and down the stairs to one of the spare cabins, grabbing his bag carrying his swim trunks along the way. He quickly takes off the shirt he had borrowed from Alaric's closet and slips his shorts and boxers off in exchange for a pair of blue Oakley swim trunks that hung low on his hips and ended just above his knees. He opens the door to the cabin only to find Elena sitting on the couch outside the door, waiting for him. She looks over at him as soon as he exits the bedroom and even in the dimly lit cabins he can see the color in her cheeks rise.

"Something wrong?" He asks, wondering exactly why she was down here waiting for him instead of up top. After a moment of looking him up and down she reluctantly looks away and stands up.

"Are you sure this doesn't bother you?" She asks, not motioning to anything. He knows well enough what she is speaking of and immediately walks over to her. He stops in front of her and places his hands on her arms and looks into her eyes.

"Elena, I promise you, it doesn't and will never bother me. To say you are stunningly beautiful is an understatement and to say I'm attracted to you is one as well. The choice is yours, if you don't want to take your dress off then don't, if you want to wear a t-shirt and go in then please do, or if you want to just wear what you have underneath that then that's fine too."

Before he can say anything further she peels her dress away from her chest and slides it down her body until it's pooled at her feet. He watches her as she does so, his eyes following her movements and he suddenly feels them start to get heavy. This woman was full of surprises and her ambition was inspiring to say the least. He swallows the lump in his throat and shakes his head, trying to clear the lustful thoughts from his head.

"Remember what I told you yesterday?" He tells her.

"Which part?" She asks.

"How you're going to be the end of me?"

The smile on her face is something wicked and wherever it came from causes him curiosity. Elena was a much different woman than Katherine, which was obvious right from the beginning. He was just hoping that the excitement he felt when being around her was something she felt as well.


End file.
